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Ever since its multicity, big-deal reveal earlier this year, Volkswagen has been trying to convince the world that its all-new, 2012 Volkswagen Beetle is a more manly car that the old New Beetle. We agree it looks more masculine and aggressive than its bubble-icious predecessor ever did, but does it have the brawn to back up its un-beauty?

As it happens, we were able to lay our manly hands and test equipment on both the entry-level 2012 VW Beetle and the sporty Beetle Turbo. The base car is powered by Volkswagen’s 2.5-liter inline-five, which makes a decent 170 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. It’s a carryover engine from the New Beetle, but it now delivers 20 more horsepower and 9 more lb-ft of torque. The Turbo now boasts Volkswagen’s 2.0-liter turbo-four, stepping in for the old 1.8-liter turbo. The new motor lays down 200 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque, an improvement of 20 horsepower and 35 lb-ft.

Taking a look back through our archives, it turns out we never got around to testing a 2.5-liter New Beetle, so we can’t tell you exactly how the new 2012 Beetle with the 2.5-liter compares. We can tell you the new car laid down an 8.8-second 0-60-mph time and ran the quarter mile in 16.7 seconds at 83.7 mph with its six-speed automatic transmission. We can also tell you it stopped from 60 in a decent 125 feet, pulled a 0.86 g number on the skidpad, and ran our figure-eight course in 27.3 seconds at an average of 0.62 g. A brief look around the Web suggests the performance is about the same as the old New Beetle, despite the extra power. Editors who drove the car found the I-5 a bit short of breath at times, but otherwise competent.

We did, however, test the New Beetle Turbo, so we can make some comparisons there. First, the specs. The new 2012 Turbo laid down a stout 6.3-second 0-60-mph time, 0.8 second faster than the old car. The new car ran the quarter mile in 14.9 seconds at 94.7 mph, 0.3 second faster than the old car. The new Turbo also stopped in 125 feet and pulled 0.84 g average on the skidpad (the base and Turbo models wear different tires). The old car needed 130 feet to stop and only managed 0.79 g on the skidpad. Finally, the new Turbo ran around the figure eight in 27 seconds flat at 0.65 g average.

There’s more to it than that, though. According to our test crew, the Beetle Turbo has more in it. Testers complained that the Turbo’s DSG dual-clutch gearbox refused to allow brake torqueing or any other method of improving the launch. As such, the turbo was not spooled at launch and the car started off slower than it should have until boost pressure built up. We’ll have to get our hands on a manual transmission-equipped model and see what numbers it gives up.

Editors who drove the car also complained of excessive turbo lag exacerbated by long gears and a transmission programmed for fuel economy, not sportiness. Several also complained of excessive body roll and lean in turns, a harsh ride, and light, uncommunicative steering from the rail-thin tiller. Many were hoping for GTI levels of performance, but felt the Beetle’s delivery came up short, falling somewhere between the Golf and GTI. For the record, the last GTI we tested hit 60 mph in 5.8 seconds and posted slightly better numbers on both the skidpad and figure eight.

To be fair, the Beetle has never been a sports car. Once our editors were done moaning about the GTI, every one of them was quick to agree that the new Beetle is a vast improvement over the old New Beetle. The Beetle Turbo may not be a GTI, but all agreed it’s more fun to drive and handles better than its predecessor, and certainly looks better. Volkswagen’s finally built a modern Beetle that car guys wouldn’t and shouldn’t be embarrassed to drive, but will they give it a chance? They ought to.

Horsepower

2012 Volkswagen Beetle News and Reviews

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